On Monday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court strongly criticized the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) for its inaction against the unlawful filling of water bodies. As a consequence, the bench imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the civic body.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, said the CMC was “cheating the court”.
According to an affidavit submitted by the state, more than 4,000 water bodies in 44 out of 144 wards within the CMC jurisdiction have undergone changes. The petitioner accused local authorities of disregarding complaints about the unlawful filling of these water bodies.
During the proceedings, the bench presided over a public interest litigation which asserted the illegal filling of water bodies, accompanied by constructions on these sites. Previously, the high court had requested the state government to provide information regarding the number of water bodies within the CMC area that had undergone alterations in their characteristics in recent years.
According to an affidavit submitted by the state, more than 4,000 water bodies in 44 out of 144 wards within the CMC jurisdiction have undergone changes. The petitioner accused local authorities of disregarding complaints about the unlawful filling of these water bodies.
The Chief Justice, noting that the petition was last addressed in November 2022, expressed dismay that the CMC had still not provided the court with a comprehensive list of water bodies in its area despite previous directives.
When the division bench asked the CMC’s lawyer about the number of water bodies in the city, the lawyer failed to give a satisfactory reply.
Consequently, the bench redirected the query to the state authorities, seeking information on the number of altered water bodies within the CMC area. Expressing disappointment, the chief justice remarked on Monday that there seemed to be a lack of substantial action in removing encroachments or dismantling constructions on illegally filled water bodies. He indicated that the CMC appeared to be prolonging the issue, suggesting a lack of proactive measures.
The Chief Justice told the CMC’s lawyer: “From 2021, you have not been able to place a piece of paper showing that you have restored a water body. You are cheating. Cheating the court.”
“Every engineer or whoever is the authority in that ward knows what is happening. It is 100 per cent collusion. Do you mean to say the person in charge of the ward did not know? If half a lorry of brick is offloaded at 7 in the morning, the fellow is there knocking on your door,” a visibly displeased Chief Justice said.
“We will file a detailed report in the court,” said a CMC official.
